How to create a Blog Maintenance page with Netvibes

Hi,

in my review of the Practical Uses of Netvibes, I would like to reccoment you to read this Blog Tip from INTERNET DUCT TAPE BLOG: on How to Create a Blog Maintenance Start Page with Netvibes.

The author designs its Netvibes page with 3 column:

Column 1: Comment Administration and Social Site Monitoring
Column 2: Blog Stats
Column 3: Direct Communication

The text its full of tips and URL to services that will help you write your Blog.

Good work.

Netvibe introduces the Premium Widgets

Hi,

in the same blog, Netvibes also introduces a Premium Widget program which allows large media companies and publishers to instantly syndicate multiple media properties without having to develop individual widgets on multiple platforms.

Premium Widgets are Universal Widgets that merge multiple feeds, podcasts or video channels into a single widget, within a branded and sponsored environment.

Premium Widget launch partners include: CBS Interactive, BBC Mundo, El Pais, El Mundo, Le Figaro, MTV.it, Il Sole 24, CNET Asia and Sports.cn.

The New York Times Premium Widget is a good example. It is in fact an Universe but in a single widget where you can choose more than 15 news feeds in this widget: National, International, Business, Sports, Technology, Arts and many more.

In the end if you are interested in all of them you will probably switch for 15 individual widgets but if you want just the ability to check them from time to time the Premium Widget is a good solution!

Search Not working in the New Widget Directory for Netvibes

Hi,

Netvibes has just announced that their Widgets, Universes and Tabs Directory (The ECOSYSTEM) has been revamped.

The look is changed, there is no more a FEED DIRECTORY, the new title is:
The Netvibes Widget directory.

You can see what are the most popular widgets and rate the widgets you like or not.

Netvibes pretends that now you can have :"A fresh design, a better navigation. Finding widgets has never been easier on Netvibes, you can now browse and filter widgets by categories, try our new search and see live preview on widget’s details page."

Well it was need, as I was also writing myself in July, Netvibes Ecosystem should improve the Search function...

But, as will rewiew it, I do not see any clear improvement in the search function.

The search has not clearly improved. Well, probably, if you just happen to use Netvibes, the search is better but if you use Google a few times a day then... No it has not improved. Let's show you why.

Suppose I want to find the TAB I created LONDON UK about all you need to prepare a trip to London (UK), what I should do is type LONDON UK and find the TAB in the first results but then no!

So first results are: UNIVERSES as Rugby World Cup 2007and URL Shortener ???.
Well default the selection is "Most recent" so I have to click on "Most Popular" ... let's do it.

And the result are:Finance and Mini-Clock and Babylon Box ???

I see some problems as the search seems to forget the tags, that authors have chosen for their widgets and also there is no distinction in the search function between tabs and widgets or universes...
A good solution would be to rate first "title" of the widget, then Tags, then use ratings and downloads. The missing search choice is MOST PERTINENT.

Now lets try LONDON UK TRAVEL, as a search string. But the result is the same of the previuo s search without TRAVEL ??!!

Well perhaps the search works better with the Widgets. So let's try to focus on them.
I will search for NETVIBER EXPERIENCE (well yes this blog has a feed so...) and as you can see here on the capture the first result is ... Google Calendar Embedded ...

Well, you could think that my Feed is not so popular or not so recent, ok let's try NETVIBES itself on its own Search.
Here is the result:
and surprise the first result is ... GOOGLE CALENDAR EMBEDDED... and is the same that I had for my feed so MOST POPULAR does not screen the results but gives just the most popular list with no regards for the search string ... strange!

But the wirst has to come, suppose you are a Sponsor of Netvibes and you want to see where are your universes, suppose you are the French Newspaper Group "LE FIGARO" then you search for LE FIGARO and the first result is ... MTV.it , the Italian MTV !!!!!


It seems the SEARCH FUNCTION is not working properly!

Blend as many feeds you want in just 1 feed !

Hi,

in a previous post I was writing: Mix together up to 6 Feeds in just 1 Feed but I checked better the FEEDBLENDER application that I was usingand I discovered that I could increase the maximum number of different feeds that I could mix and blend together.

By just clicking a little red text on the right : + Add More Feeds !

You can add 3 feeds each time you press the text... with no limit!
So you can blend as many feeds you want.

Try yourself this very good tool!

Write a novel, a short story, a blog with Netvibes

Hi,

as I continue my review of Practical uses of Netvibes, here is an "artistic" one.

How to write a novel, a short story, a blog ... with the Help of Netvibes and the advice from: HED's writing mission blog.

Basicaly you should create 4 separate Tabs:

1. Inspiration. As writers get their ideas from everywhere, you will fill this Tab with a bit of everything : feeds, but also Delicious tags, search Modules, mp3 feeds, flickr widget,...
2. Relax. For your little break choose some cartoons, a TV feed and a clock to go back to work!
3. Language tools. Wikipedia and multiple translators will be placed here
4. Quick Notes. A few web notes widgets ready to get used .

What is missing is an integrated word processor to create the text directly in Netvibes.

Choose what you want in the Universes

Hi,

Have you looked at the more than 780 Universes offered by Netvibes?

I did, but was afraid to be obliged to import all the Univers, with all its settings and to loose my time to delete all the unwanted stuff.

But that is not the case : you can choose just one (ore more) widget or feed and import it directly in you own page!

Let's say I am interested by the TECHCRUNCH Univers, but that the only new thing I need is the READ/WRITEWEB feed on the right column. Then I just click on the title and the ADD TO YOUR PAGE message appears, I click on it. Then select the option "SAVE changes to your private page" or the "Back to my private page". And that is it! The widgets you selected are now in your page!

Nice done Netvibes!

Create a constantly-updated page to monitor any subject

Hi,

in my new serie on "the Practical uses of Netvibes" here is a new one.

If you want create a constantly-updated page to monitor any subject that you are interested in, just follow the indications of William J. Turkel gives in his Blog.

Basicaly here is how he proceeds:

1) First of all, create a (free) account at Netvibes.

2) Add the RSS feeds you need to check "the subject you are interested in"

3) Go to the "Add Content" and Add a blog search module for "the subject you are interested in"

That gives you the spectrum of discussion ranging from edited, through mildly moderated to free-for-all.

4) Pass the feed through a Feedshake filter if the data are not "precise" enough. This is a free service (but you need to register) for customizing, filtering, converting and merging newsfeeds and podcasts. Feedshake lets you combine and manipulate RSS feeds online.

5) To get the latest book news, grab a feed of reviews and create a feed of "the subbject you are interested in" books at Amazon.
Do this using Paul Bausch's Amazon Feed Generator (another free service with no need to register)

6) Next you will want to get links to the tables of contents for the journals. To do this make use of the Feed43 service and follow the specific instructions of William J. Turkel on how to Scrape a Web Page to RSS Feed.

7) Finally, add in the notepad module (go to Add Content and choose Basic Widgets and select WebNote) to jot down anything you want to remember while reading all your page.

8) If the result is ok, and you think you could share this Tab, why not Share this Tab by sending an email or if, of more general interest, why do not publish it in the Netvibes Ecosystem ?

Good work!

Mix together up to 6 Feeds in just 1 Feed

Hi,

As I was checking the first results of the mini-poll on Netvibes uses (here on the right) I observed without surprise that the main use of Netvibes is to Read Feeds.

If you check the Netvibes ecosystem you can choose from 86.230 feeds !
Myself I has suscribed to more than 100. Some Feeds are updated every hour or so (as a Google News Feed) but other even the Feed from this blog is update 1 or 2 times a day at maximum.

Then it could be usefull to mix together and blend different Feeds on the same subject (let's says Netvibes) and get just one Feed. Well, FEEDBLENDER does just that!

You go on their site and without any registration, just by copy/paste the feeds URL you want to mix or blend, you get a single blended Feed.

As simple as that! As they say: "FeedBlendr takes a bunch of RSS, RDF or Atom feeds (news, blogs, podcasts, you name it) and puts the contents of all of them into a single "blend", which is ordered by date, newest at the top. You can then view the blend online, on a mobile device, integrate it into your own site, or just subscribe to it in any news reader. Oh yeah, and it's free!"

FEEDBLENDER prepares also a list of different URLs adapted to different uses of the new feed ( atom, rss, m, html...) and you can put your feed where you want.

The only limitation I know: If this blend is not accessed by anyone for more than 3 months, it may be automatically removed...

I have already prepared one for you. You can check it here: http://feedblendr.com/blends/18672

It is just the blend of Netvibes Official Blog Feed with the Feed of the Google News search on Netvibes.

Try yourself this very good tool!

Vote my mini-poll on Netvibes uses

Hi,

If you have 2 seconds, vote in my mini-poll on Netvibes uses.
Just here on the right column.

You have 5 choices and no registration needed!

Thanks

Netvibes uses Promotional Ad Banner

Hi,

For those who have not used Netvibes for some days or for those not focused on Revenues, I want to point out the use for the first by Netvibes itself of an an Promotional Advertising Banner to announce its new mobile service directly in every Netvibes page.

"Netvibes goes mobile! Now, you can check your netvibes page on your mobile phone or your iPhone at the following address: http://m.netvibes.com".

As you can see from the image, this yellowish banner, is positionned just under your Tabs row.

Personnaly, if the banner was placed in the Netvibes Headline and never blincking, I do not think that that would disturb me very much if the service offered by Netvibes was to be increased. So a potential source of revenues? I think so, because Ads is the easiest way to do it!

As Tariq Krim, said in August 2006 :"Netvibes will remain free of charge" , that is not incompatible with some kind of Advertising.